American Made
by UrsidaeBlack
Summary: In the American Branch of UA Academy, the land of the free is almost wiped out until a group called "The Paladin Axis" calls on any who will become agents of change in Neo Amyrika. Courage the dog, Danny Fenton and Guy Hamdon are among those who've answered the call.


Courage felt the fur on his little back tingle as he walked up to the massive gate. He swallowed hard and scratched at his floppy ears. A cold numbness creeped down his spine as he began to wonder what it was he really signed on for.

"It's not so bad inside I hear," A dull, gravelly voice echoed behind him.

He looked up and stumbled back, the shadowy figure light by pulsing green irises.

The longer he looked up at them the looser his pose became. He tilted his head, confused by the parallel feelings he was getting.

"I mean if you're not cut out for it, I heard they wipe your memory and throw you out into the world mindless. Basically, brain dead." He droned, the murky shadow lifting from his visage to reveal a pale teenaged boy swimming in his hoodie.

Courage's lips became crispy and dry as he tried to speak.

"You and I don't have to worry about that, now do we?" The young man added, leaning down to meet his gaze closer.

He knelt down coming closer still as Courage began to sweat. He denied the whimper in his throat as the boy's hand gently caressed his purple fur.

"What's your name?" He smiled.

Courage stared with wide eyes breathing his scent in. He smelled a kindness, small and smooth.

The smell was incomplete. It was empty, like an unfinished picture.

The last thing was odd, it was moldy and sour, like burned skin and freshly removed intestines.

He smelled like a corpse.

Courage gave his name quickly, trying to listen for his heartbeat. He heaved in relief as a solid pulsing thump rung softly in his ears.

"You can tell, huh? Well, I'd love to stick around but, it's time for us to go."

Courage turned to see the doors opening slowly, creaking like yawning cows. Inside a tall figure ushered them inside. The enormous building was bigger still from inside. It's brightly light corridors calmed Courage's jittery heart. The place was heavily decorated and had the feel of an old-styled manor, right down to the meticulously clean red carpet and the gold-framed paintings staring vacantly. From an unseen corner, a voice as smooth as buttered silk began to speak.

"Welcome Heroes and Antiheroes alike. If you've come to put your services in the hands of justice and carve fame, fortune, wealth and power out of this rotten world then you've come to the right place!"

"Sound like a party. So where are the party favors?" His new friend whispered, his voice a worn and ragged patch of sound.

Courage looked up to see his glowing eyes scanning the area. This perked his ears up as well.

"I-I never got your name?" Courage stammered.

"Call me Danny."

Courage pointedly memorized that. The silky voice called them and the large group scattered around forward to a large embroidered desk. As the group began to form Courage hopped up and down trying to see what was going on at the front. Danny grabbed him gently by the scruff of his neck and sat him up on his broad shoulders. The people seemed to be putting round golden medallions on the desk. Courage fished around behind himself, drawing from an invisible space and pulled out a similar golden medallion. He noticed that Danny too had begun flipping one around like a coin on his thumb.

Courage gripped it tightly.

As the line shrunk soon all that was left was him, Danny and another person, a girl. Courage sniffed her way, her unusual scent strong enough to get his attention.

It was a dual scent, one part like sweet syrup and the other a musky sea salt smell. The smells were distinct yet occasionally oscillated, blending in unique ways.

"What's up?" Danny asked as if sensing Courage's curiosity.

The two came closer. This girl, was dressed in a thick black hoodie and baggy cargo shorts. Her dark brown hair was accented with a pink swirl of hair that she swept out of her eyes a few times.

"You gonna just stand there staring?" She quipped, not looking in their direction.

"I might. What's your name?" Danny suavely replied.

"Look dude, your barkin' up the wrong tree."

"What do you mean?" Courage spoke up, his curiosity getting the better of him.

The girl turned to them, her expression a callous look of confused frustration. She then raised her left hand, displaying a jeweled pink ring.

"Vai... Ragazza!" Her voice thundered with a distorted echo as it began to deepen.

Suddenly the loose-fitting garments began to fill out as broad shoulders took the place of dainty slanted ones. Courage couldn't believe what he was seeing, the world outside his home hadn't yet ceased to surprise him. When the former girl's body had finished shifting and snapping into place under the skin he looked up, his features now hardened like a roughly cut diamond. His hair had shortened too, all except for the tuft of pink.

"Neat trick," Danny chuckled.

"Since you're not grossed out, I take it you weren't trying to flirt with me?" He replied, similarly dispositioned.

"Nope, my fiancé wouldn't like that very much. I'm Danny and this is Courage." Danny introduced them both with a daunting smile.

Courage tried to copy him but to no avail. Suddenly the lingering scent of charred corpse came back. Against his disgust he inhaled it deeper. It wasn't just death he smelled, it was anger. A Boiling mustard-like scent that, while faint, was all around when the corpse stench rose up.

He listened for a heartbeat.

 _Thump-thump._

 _Thump-thump._

Nothing...

 _Thump-thump._

Again, nothing...

No heartbeat continued for that moment. As Courage's eyes were drawn to Danny's eyes, he could feel the skin on his neck cool quickly, turning a bit pale. His breath exhumed slowly as a thick blue fog.

"D-D-Danny?" Courage whimpered.

"We've got a party crasher..." Danny breathed, Courage's spine quaking as he did.

"The name's Guy, Guy Hamdon. Hey, you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost?" The former girl answered.

"I hope you know how to fight, Guy, cause we're in for an unscheduled arrival," Danny replied.

Courage hopped down as the two stood back to back. His whiskers tingled as another larger presence came into his mind. His fur crawled as he put his back against the two as the room was invaded by transparent creatures of various shades of green and blue.

"Going ghost!" Danny shouted.

Courage watched as gooey, crystalline goo crawled over and enveloped Danny, his clothes folding and wrapping around his body as a bright ring of light exploded into existence around his feet and began to climb.

Courage was overwhelmed with the corpse smell again.

As it passed over him his clothes changed, turning from baggy jeans and a white shirt under a black coat into a pair of black tights belted by a silver ring.

It began to consume his mind, becoming more like a thought than a smell as the anger flowed into it.

The coat became a brilliant white and its edges became shredded and jagged. Finally, his hair coursed and pulsed like an unholy fire as it turned the same shade of white as his coat.


End file.
